Using the term “natural birth” for a vaginal delivery implies that having a c-section is “un-natural.” I prefer using “vaginal birth” instead of “natural birth/delivery.” If you are expecting multiples and need a c-section, then IMO, both types of delivery are natural.

A vaginal delivery is usually decided at the time of birth by Mom’s health and the position of the lower baby, i.e. if that baby is head down. If the second baby is also head down, wonderful and the chances of vaginal delivery are pretty well assured. If the second baby is breech and depending upon the type of breech (i.e. feet down, across the abdomen, etc), the doctor may have the experience to turn or rotate baby to head down for safest delivery. If the second baby is showing signs of distress (e.g. increased or decreased heart rate), it may be decided to have a c-section for delivery of the second baby. This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen from time to time.

The more fetuses Mom is carrying, the more likely they will be delivered by c-section. In 30+ years of working in the field, I have only personally known of one vaginal delivery of triplets.

Our multiples all arrive at the same time (obviously). Not so obviously, because they have (inadvertently) been identified as a group because of their births, they are also individuals within the group. They are not a package and you, as the parents, have the capability to make sure that their individuality is also celebrated. Some great hints to encourage their individuality while also respecting their special and unique bond, are following.

If you have any ways you helped encourage your babies’ individuality, please let us know.

~Don’t give them rhyming names, or even names beginning with the same letter. ~Don’t continually dress them alike. Once is a while won’t hurt, but not continually. ~Have a Baby Book and Photo Albums PER child. Otherwise, who does the one book belong to? ~Always have a birthday cake PER child ~Always sing Happy Birthday PER child ~Encourage family and friends not to send cards for Twins. Who opens the card? Who owns the one card? WW3 could start here. ~Do not compare the children to each other (your brother uses the potty, you need to as well) nor let others compare them. ~Because there is a built-in comparison with multiples, take the word “Twin” or “Triplet” out of the situation and deal with the solutions on individual basis. AS LONG AS EACH CHILD PROCEEDS AT HIS OR HER OWN RATE AND CONTINUES TO MEET MILESTONES, DON’T PUSH THINGS. BRINGING UP MULTIPLES IS NOT A RACE OR COMPETITION. Each child needs to be who they are, even in the multiple-birth setting.

Some of the amazing Mommas on La Leche League’s Twin and Triplet Breastfeeding Facebook page in the U.S. were asking about how long some of the other reader’s had carried their babies. Here are some of the replies:

35 weeks, 2 days 38 weeks, 1 day 35 weeks, 5 days 38 weeks 37 weeks, 6 days 39 weeks, 5 days 36 weeks, 6 days 37 weeks, 1 day 35 weeks 39 weeks, 2 days My own was 40 weeks, 1 day: Spontaneous labour of 5 and 3/5 hours to the birth of the second twin. 18 minutes apart and no stretch marks, but belly muscles were shot. I needed a tummy tuck. My singleton children were an 8 hour and 22-hour labours. Go figure! LOL All worth it.

Even though there are no guarantees, there are several elements that need to be in place to become pregnant with twins or triplets. Here are some of the possible elements, in no particular order:

1) If you already have other children;

2) If you are over 30 years old;

3) Chances are even greater if you are over 35 years old;

4) The closer they are to you on your family tree;

5) If you used infertility assistance; and

6) They will start on your family tree somewhere and perhaps you will be the one who will get things started.

I could add here that if you have one spontaneous set of multiples, i.e. no infertility assistance, it is said that you can up your chances by 50% of having multiples again in a subsequent pregnancy. There is one family who had nine children, including four sets of twins.

If you have older or younger siblings than your multiples, there are some behaviours you might need to address. Take a look at the article Singleton Siblings of Multiples on my Site at http://www.jumelle.ca to learn hints and tips of what to expect and how to meet any possible challenges whether the siblings are older or younger than your multiples. Make sure things run as smoothly as possible!

Multiple births have been in the news quite a bit the past few months and it is difficult to tell if that is a good thing or a bad thing (think the California woman who gave birth to octuplets and Jon and Kate). Having multiples is what we commonly refer to in the business as a “hard happiness.” Of course there are logistic challenges such as carrying them, house is too small, so is the car, emotional and mental issues, but the truth is these children are also a blessing. Double the laughter, double the joy, double the hugs, double the kisses (or triple or quadruple…..) and the family may have other children as well. These are definitely busy households but that doesn’t mean that life is always hectic or unorganized. Sure those days exist but there is less stress on finding playmates for socialization, there are enough players for lots of games, story time can be precious, and bath time memorable. Not to mention the cute and fun things that kiddies say and do to light up your life, e.g. “what part of the pig do the lampchops come from?” Or when helping to fold laundry, my 3-year old held up my bra and said “Here’s your bra-ccoli!” Or when one asked, “How far do the aids go?” Asking for clarifications, she said, “You know, First Aid, Second Aid…..” Comedy writers couldn’t write better lines.

What’s this got to do with multiple-births? Well, sometimes I think society focuses too much on how many and not enough on the treasures children are. Sure we need to take prenatal classes geared towards multiple births, and do some reading and preparation for what we can expect when we need to juggle all those babies, but it is so important not to also remember what joy they bring as well.

So my husband and I just celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary and our twins + older sibling (read 3 under two years) did not cause us to divorce but did exactly the opposite and made sure we worked together and made a team.